March 28,1996 to May 10, 1996

Hi! I am Julius ' Kickatree ' Daniels, and the following is a chronicle of my first ever backpacking experience. If you are wondering how I arrived at my trail name, you have only to find that tree near Jarrad Gap, GA whose root tripped me up for the first time…flat on my face. I got up from the ground and gave it a well-placed soccer punt in the trunk! So don't hate me for this nature lovers, the tree started it! I AM very glad that it was not something that could kick back. 8^) If you are wondering why I chose the AT as my first experience, well...I don't know why either...so read on and laugh if you must! 8^)

March 28 8 miles God am I nervous! I hiked for an hour 'till I met two guys, Daniel and Tim. We hiked together today and were in good spirits until the climb to Springer got steep. It took us six hours to go five miles on an incline that looked straight up. The accepted mode for uphills for the time being is to hike 200 feet stop, gripe and complain and push on. We reached the summit of Springer Mountain and the shelter at dark. Oh did I mention that it was foggy, cold and rainy? The first day turned out miserably, but I DID IT! Yahooooo! so far...

March 29 7.7 miles I didn't get started till 10am! This will not happen again. I wasted precious daylight waiting for Tim and Daniel. They were slow out of the gate today. I ended up hiking with "Boldheart" a 66 year old retiree. He and I were hurting so we had about the same pace. We died about 1/4 mile from Hawk Mountain shelter. We pitched our tents near a stream and called it a day. We should feel better Saturday. Neither one of us got much sleep at Springer Mountain shelter. **Hey Jimbo...I smoked your Griffin and had a little brandy to wash it down . The hike is really hard, but I hope to make it.

March 30 8.4 miles Gooch Gap . I pushed hard today, but I didn't have much choice. The shelter was full so I walked a little farther and pitched a tent at a nearby campsite. I met a former AT thru-hiker trail angel "Cornbread" 84-85 who fed and consoled me. I went to bed with a full belly 8^). I felt great the next morning except that it was raining so badly that I was forced to relieve myself in my cook pot. 8^| The labor involved right now it is grueling, and until I can get my body in shape, it isn't going to get much easier. I am giving both heart and soul to do this.

March 31 8.9 miles I had a hardy hike today! Wet and foggy just like the past three days. I fell on my face for the first time; it was one of those embarrassing falls that you check to see if anyone saw you. I was in fact tired and just wanted to pitch a tent and get something hot inside me. I found a flat spot at Jarrad Gap and had the tent up in a matter of minutes. Hot food - Beef and mashed potatoes, coffee and some kind of fruit bar for dinner. Sleep was hard as it was cold down by my shins. I got cramps in the night because I couldn't get enough of my legs off of the cold ground. Mental note: in future use a full-length Thermarest. Tomorrow should be a bit nicer. I plan to go over Blood Mountain and spend the night in the hostel at Neels Gap. Goodnight!

April Fools Day! 5.4 miles to Neels Gap and not a foot farther! A winter-like day but no rain. I broke camp and was moving by 8:30am. I made it to Blood Mountain shelter by noon. I met a writer who was gathering information from thru-hikers to include in her book about thru-hikers and the AT. Her trail name is "Hikester" and her real name is Lynn Setzer. She asked me if I would like to give her some input and of course my ego swelling I said "sure." She was headed in the opposite direction to have lunch at the shelter. I was number ten out of a possible 14 for the hostel at Walasi-Yi . That made me feel good getting a good break. By 3:30pm the wind was 30-40 mph and the temp was below freezing. I hope that the wind dies down by tomorrow. Tonight I gorge on anything that looks hot and will rest well out of the elements. I don't know how to explain the company of hikers that I am staying the night with, but we all have the same attitude and camaraderie that I am beginning to treat now as second nature. My legs are still cramping.

April 2, 1996 10.7 miles Low Gap Shelter was a hike! I got off late (10:30Am.) I had to buy some extra supplies because I had counted on a mail drop which never arrived. The gal at the Center was really helpful with my pack adjustment. I also sent home about 5 pounds of stuff. My pack was about 60 pounds before and 55 after. What was I thinking!!!!. My legs were still hurting, the pack adjustment helped with the burden. I made it to Low Gap by 6:15pm. Hey that was pretty good time for me! Warren, a fellow hiker had built a nice toasty fire, and we camped away from the shelter and cooled out for the night. We had some tobacco and chatted about the trail ahead. Blue Mountain lay ahead and the terrain was mostly uphill. He was hoping to bypass Blue Mountain and go on to Tray Mountain which is an additional 7 miles. I am not going to push mileage for now. My legs are still hurting and it is tough to get good rest with them bouncing around all night. I should have forked out the extra cash and picked up an additional foam sleeping pad.

April 3, 1996 7.1 miles Blue Mountain Shelter. It was a real hard hike today. I had to drag my left leg for the entire day with a pulled groin muscle. Nothing that I did seemed to make the hike any easier. As soon as I reached the shelter, I was kaput! I met Attitude, Shorthand, Backdraft, and Navigator at the shelter. Nice fellas.

April 4, 1996 rest day Blue Mountain Shelter. I took it easy and let body parts heel a bit. I did some tent maintenance and baked in the afternoon sun. It was all very very pleasant. Later in the afternoon Tim and Daniel a.k.a. "Catfish and Lord Bacon" from the first day showed up and we had a great visit. They broke me up when they each pulled out a portable gym and began to work on their arms. Those things had to be a couple of pounds each!

April 5, 1996 7 miles Tray Mountain Shelter. What a trashy site. You could tell that it is used a lot by week-enders. Who do they think is supposed to haul the garbage down? Well enough of that. Today was a bright sunny semi-warm day. My legs felt steady and strong! No leg pain for once! The views were spectacular even without any leaves.

April 6, 1996 7.1 miles Deep Gap shelter. It was a real easy day, but I thought Kelly Knob would never end. It seemed to rise forever. Once I reached the top, it was an easy descent into Deep Gap and another 1/3 mile to the shelter via a blue blaze trail. The shelter was a grand 4 wall A-frame with 2 lofts. I hopped up into one of the unused lofts and quickly got into some dry and warmer clothing. Tomorrow is a town day and I can do some laundry. It was really cold and wet here. The temp was down to 15 degrees and my bag is rated to 30. Some hot tea and mac'n-cheese helped take the edge off the cold. I was of course kept busy with my cramping legs again. Everything will be fine tomorrow. I can hitch into Hiawassee, GA from Dick's Creek Gap and find a warm bed.

Easter Sunday 4 miles Happy Easter! I shared some tobacco with "Pirate" and headed for town. 2.5 hours later I got to the road. It was a very cold morning but thoughts of town, and calling the family kept me on track. I was out of food so I was also really hungry…which is another reason for getting to town! I got to the road and just started to put my thumb out when I noticed a motley group across the highway. Without my glasses on I felt like a curious bear. I flared my nostrils when the aroma of many foods wafted my way. I followed the scent and found most of the hikers that had stayed at Deep Gap last night. I cocked my head, looked at them stuffing their faces and finally looked at the food piled high on the picnic table. Wow!! now this is either a dream or a group yogi. I heard someone say that the food was for us. I said for me!? They said yes! One voice bellowed "Ham, turkey, casseroles, potatoes, salad, sweet tea, soft drinks" while another voice said grab a plate and help yourself. God! Its true. Trail Angels! An older couple who had hiked the trail many years ago set this up to give hikers an Easter meal! I wish that I could remember their first names, but the Lewis' live in Greenville, NC. I never felt so close to my God as I did today. I was actually thinking of getting off of the trail until now. Will these folks ever know what a good thing that they did and at just the right moment? This act of kindness was just the shot in the arm that I needed to keep going. I will stay in town today and tomorrow to take another breather.